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The heritage Spanish phonetic/phonological system: Looking back and moving forward

  • Rajiv Rao EMAIL logo and Rebecca Ronquest

Abstract

This paper overviews what we currently know about the phonetics/phonology of heritage speakers of Spanish based on previous research on this topic, and also provides suggestions for future directions to pursue, as inspired by previous work on heritage Spanish, adult learners of Spanish, native Spanish, and other heritage languages. Specifically, we examine the past and future of heritage Spanish phonetics/phonology at both the segmental (i.e., consonants and vowels) and suprasegmental (i.e., intonation, rhythm, stress) levels in terms of how this part of heritage Spanish grammars differs from that of other Spanish-speaking populations. Finally, we discuss a series of methodological factors to consider as investigators continue to advance this area of linguistic inquiry.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Amanda Boomershine for her helpful suggestions regarding an earlier version of this paper. They have strengthened the final product.

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Published Online: 2015-8-25
Published in Print: 2015-9-1

©2015 by De Gruyter Mouton

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